INLD levels bribery charge on Haryana minister

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Saturday alleged bribery charge on a Haryana minister for a change of land use (CLU) licence on a 30-acre plot.

INLD released a CD showing Health Minister Narender Singh in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government conversing with a "reporter" and an "agent" and trying to settle a deal to get the CLU for Rs.30-50 crore.

INLD leader Abhay Chautala alleged that senior functionaries in the Hooda government were openly indulging in dubious land deals and corruption by getting CLUs.

Narender Singh who got elected in the Oct 2009 assembly election on a ticket of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) defected with four other legislators to join the Congress party. Hooda inducted him as a cabinet minister.

Chautala told mediapersons here Saturday a senior Congress leader gave him the CD but refused to name the politician. He said the CD was dated May 22.

The INLD leader earlier this year also released CDs of certain Congress ministers, legislators and leaders trying to settle land deals.

"All this shows the blatant corruption prevailing in the Hooda government in the state," Chautala said.

The health minister denied his role in the CLU controversy, saying it was a conspiracy by the opposition to defame him.

Narender Singh said top INLD leaders Om Prakash Chautala and Ajay Chautala were behind bars after being convicted in the JBT teachers' recruitment scam earlier this year.

"The INLD leaders are neck deep in corruption. They are making baseless allegations to malign me," he said.